Lesbia Newman (1889)/Chapter 20
CHAPTER XX.
From Country to Town.
Francis Hawknorbuzzard, Marquis of Humnoddie, our heroine’s acquaintance of Ruddymere Park, was the man called to head the Bungling Coalition, a post for which his pliant and amiable disposition well fitted him. It happened just now that his wife was frequently evading the press of her social obligations in town by a run down for a day or two to Ruddymere, accompanied by her younger daughter Friga, who, unlike her sister, loved the country and hated London.
Thus it came about that Lady Friga and our heroine saw a good deal of each other in their respective homes, and further, that the more they saw, the better they liked each other. Not that Friga Hawknorbuzzard could pretend to the intellect of Letitia Blemmyketts, but she was nevertheless of a cultivated mind and a sweet, simple nature, which gave to her voluptuous style of beauty a very spiritual expression. And if she could not lead in the domain of speculative thought, she could follow; and this she was ready enough to do when her leader was such as Lesbia Newman. Hence the latter, without being unfaithful in thought to Letitia, found that the void made by the absence of her American love was in course of being filled up: the old tie was not weakened, but a new one was added to it. Her home was no longer dull to her, a zest being given to ordinary pursuits such as only the satisfaction of an emotional nature can give. It was therefore no welcome announcement which her new friend brought Lesbia one morning as she met her near the park gate.
‘Lesbie, my pet, I was trotting over to you with bad news. My fidgety mother and your mischievous uncle have been plotting against our peace.’
‘Uncle Spines! How, Fri?’
‘She’s been persuading him that he wastes his time and talents rusticating here,—wants him to go to town for the summer season and lecture to audiences worthy of him, while you will see something of that blessed sphere, London society.’
‘I suspect your mother thinks more of London society converting me than of my uncle converting it. It will be a bore to give up our sweet nooks and bowers to suffocate in London; still, if we can do any useful work there, I suppose one ought to make the sacrifice.’
‘You and your uncle may do useful work, but what can I do, Lesbie?’ answered Friga, somewhat sulkily. ‘Snubbing everybody right and left is about the only congenial occupation I have in London.’
‘But it needs to be done with discrimination, Fri. Suppose you had snubbed me now?’
‘That would have been a mistake, love; but I didn’t meet you in London.’
‘But you might have. There are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it.’
‘I doubt that, Lesbie; I don’t believe there are any fish like you in the sea.’
‘Bless you, yes, there are plenty, only they don’t come out. But I wonder Uncle Spines has not told me of this project.’
Mr Bristley did so, however, the same day. Negotiations had been going on, unknown to Lesbia, for an exchange of duty with a clergyman of Kensington, Mr David Aluminium Mountjoy, who needed a spell of rusticating. The upshot was that shortly afterwards the whole Dulham party migrated to the West End. Here Mr Bristley at once commenced a course of lectures to a fashionable audience, in which he did not speak smooth things, but roundly denounced the reactionary and stagnant condition of the social atmosphere which had set in with the recent political changes. In one of the gloomiest of these discourses, while touching upon the religious question, he somewhat surprised his audience by expressing the opinion that amid the crash of falling idols the Roman Church may yet become a rallying point for the spiritually-minded gathered out of all sects, because she contains the germ of a higher form of worship than the world has yet known. However, this remark was soon forgotten by the bulk of his hearers, in the crowd of more interesting and practical subjects on which he afterwards dwelt, and but for one young lady, not personally known to him, who happened to be present, it is probable that no more would have been heard about it.
Three more Sundays had passed, the lecturer amplifying his discourse upon the same lines, when on the Thursday morning following the fourth lecture, whilst Lesbia was in her room, Fidgfumblasquidiot, who had been allowed to accompany her young mistress to London, having made several ineffectual attempts at the door handle, eventually put her head in, saying,—
‘Please’m, Lady Friga Hawknorbuzzard’s here, waiting in the drawing-room to see you; she says she can’t stop but just a minute to speak to you.’
Lesbia hurried down, with Gossamer, now growing into a fine dog, thumping the stairs behind her.
‘Good-morning, Fri, darling, won’t you come up to my room; we shall be more cosy than here?’
‘No, Lesbie pet, not this morning; I’ve kept the hansom waiting because I’ve no time. Hilda has made up a party to a Crystal Palace concert which I don’t care about—I’d much rather stay with you; but they want me to go. Down, Goss! you’re not to mud me now, you ugly full moon with teeth!’ as the bulldog reared up, wagging his rat’s tail, almost as pleased to see Friga as his young mistress. ‘Look here, Lesbie, mamma says you must all come to our tea to-morrow—it’s Friday, my day, you know; at any rate, you and your uncle must come, be the weather what it may. Cardinal Power’s coming, and he wishes to meet Mr Bristley.’
‘The Cardinal wants to see Uncle Spines? How very odd! What’s it about, Friga; have you any idea?’
‘Yes; I think he’s heard of the lectures and the allusions to his Church. But I must really be off; good-bye, dear; see you all to-morrow.’
Lesbie told her uncle as soon as he came in.
‘Eh?’ said Mr Bristley. ‘The Legate wishes to try his hand on me? Very good, I’m quite willing to be converted to the true faith—upon certain conditions. All right; we'll be there in good time.’